into a new year.
Things are moving along very rapidly and
the holidays went well. With Christmas in the
village and New Year in a town called Rundu,
it was a good mix of styles.
In the village it was with the new site mate
(named Gretchen) and we just cooked, talked
and mingled with the villagers. It is always a
little bit awkward feeling to be in a warm country
at Christmas time. I am from the northeast in
the States so it is usually cold. After the years
we must get a little programmed into how it should
feel at certain times.
In the new year we are continuing forward in
evolving the little projects and activities that we've
begun since I've arrived here. One thing about projects
that I've learned, that is that if sustainability is the goal,
then it takes a length of time to get it solid. It is all
about the management and that's the biggest challenge.
Despite the all the time I've spent in the Peace Corps
and living with different levels of accommodations, there
always seems like there is something new to discover.
In the picture you can see a candle under a pot. With
the village generator broke again and it raining fairly
well (making fire wood wet) and not having a gas stove,
it requires a little imagination to cook.
With that setup we made coffee, cookies and soup.
It is just using the simple principle of putting heat into
a pot. Candle gives off heat, so it seemed possible
and it worked. It is fun to try and figure these things out.
At this time I am in a city called Okahandja getting ready
to head out to our group's COS or close of service
conference. It is almost 2 years already since we arrived
in Namibia. It is always an interesting time. Reflecting back
on the journey is always special. There are always the
good and bads but at this point they are the tools that
have helped us change over our tours.
It will be the last time that we will be together as a group.
People will be leaving at different times over the next
three months, so these next few days are the last
chance to hang around together.
In the end, we were like a team. We came, we did what
we could and we always have the memories. It makes
coming here all worth it.
